Bothered, Bewildered, Bewitched
by MinnieLover
Summary: Draco finds something unexpected in Luna Lovegood  a friend.


A/N: Hello, hello. This is my Draco/Luna fic set in the sixth year. Enjoy! Oh, and italics thoughts.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would be rolling in my huge piles of money right now.

Draco couldn't believe his own ineptitude. As if it wasn't unfortunate enough that he was having trouble with Charms homework, today he had missed half of dinner trying to catch up on a Transfiguration essay. _What is wrong with me?_, he chided himself as he walked down the long hallway. _I'm getting nearly as bad as Longbottom_. He chuckled; mocking an inferior student like Neville, even to himself, made him feel better. More worthy. _At least I'm not as bad as that idiot._ As he turned the corner, he saw Luna Lovegood walking slowly and serenely towards the Great Hall. Smirking to himself, he ran to catch up with her. _I'll just have a bit of fun with her. _"Hey there, Loony. How are Potty and the Weasel? I haven't seen the Mudblood around lately. Bet she's too embarrassed to show her face after that fiasco in the Department of Ministries. Tell the other two idiots they'd best follow her lead." Luna stopped walking and turned slowly toward Malfoy. The smirk slipped off his face. He had expected to see tears, anger... Instead, he saw the same tranquil expression on Luna's face. "Oh, they're all right, thanks. Although they are a bit upset about what happened at the end of last year. Especially Harry Potter. He seems…very sad." Draco opened his mouth, but before he could fire an insult, Luna sighed and began walking again. She stopped once more, turned toward him and said, "Goodbye, Draco Malfoy. It was very nice to talk with you." Draco stood in the hall staring after her, openmouthed. Had she actually said that? He shook his head and began walking again. _Girl's barking mad_, he told himself. He walked the rest of the way to the Great Hall with just a hint of a smile on his face.

Draco left Potions class a few days later with Crabbe and Goyle trailing close behind him. At the moment he was ranting against Slughorn, who had given him a bad grade in Potions class. "Who does Slughorn think he is? Does he honestly think Potter is better at Potions than I am? What a bleeding idiot." Draco's friends chuckled in agreement. "It doesn't really matter anyways; by the end of this year, I'll be a hero. Who cares what some fat old ruin thinks about me?" "Good point, Draco. You'll be a hero", Crabbe said. Draco turned and looked at him coldly. "I _just_ said that, Crabbe. You _are_ an idiot." Malfoy sighed and kept walking. "Wonder what's for dinner?" Draco's thoughts were interrupted when Goyle bumped into someone, and then pushed her aside. "Watch where you're going, stupid girl." "Oh, pardon me. I didn't mean to bump into you. Hello Draco." _It's that girl. That stupid, crazy girl._ Draco sneered and said, "Ah, we meet again, Loony. Tell Potter he isn't fooling anyone. Everyone knows he's rubbish at Potions. And everything else, for that matter." Draco knew this wasn't true, but he insulted his enemy in some way at least once a day as a general rule. Luna smiled sadly and said "I'm sorry you think so. I believe he is actually quite talented." "Well, _I_ think…" Draco didn't get a chance to finish his insult, because Luna pulled something out of her bag…and handed it to him. "I made you a gift. It's a charm to protect you from wrackspurts. It'll come in quite handy, I assure you." "Wr-wrackspurts?" "Yes, invisible creatures that affect your brain. Well, I must be off. I'll see you later, Draco." Crabbe and Goyle burst into laughter as Luna disappeared into the crowd of students, but Draco simply watched her go, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Later that night, in the Slytherin dormitory, Draco lay awake. He sighed and turned over on his side, but he couldn't seem to get to sleep. He reached under his bed and produced the charm Luna had given him. The green stone glinted in the pale moonlight as Draco turned it over. He smiled slightly and returned the charm to its previous place. He slept soundly the rest of the night.

It wasn't until two weeks later that Draco caught sight of Luna again. He was making his way to the Slytherin table at the Great Hall with Pansy Parkinson at his side. Pansy was talking about their upcoming Potions test, but Draco was only half listening. His eyes roamed over the students at the Ravenclaw table in an attempt to spot Luna. _Just so I can throw the damn necklace in her ugly face_, he assured himself. When he finally spotted her, he stood staring at her for a few seconds. She turned, smiled, and waved. Draco raised his hand and, inexplicably, smiled back. None of this escaped Pansy's attention, who barked "Draco! Are you listening?" "Of-of course, sweetheart. I was just…" Unable to think of a good explanation, Draco trailed off. Pansy sighed and led him to their usual seat. She resumed talking, but Draco couldn't seem to listen for more than 30 seconds. Why had he frozen back there? _Because I couldn't think of a proper insult, of course. Why else?_ He gulped down some pumpkin juice and tried to put it out of his mind. _Then why did you smile and wave?_ Draco shook his head, disgusted with himself. There was no way that he could be friends with that…that…girl. No way in hell. The sooner he realized that, the better off he would be.

Draco knew that he had done well on his Potions test. He had managed to concoct a perfect Laughing Drought; even Potter's looked a little watery compared to his. He sighed with relief and smiled. _I can handle anything. I'll be the best student in my class __**and**__ ensure Voldemort's return to power. My family and I will be rewarded beyond anything we could ever dream of._ Draco's reverie was interrupted when he spotted Luna standing a little to the side of the entrance to the Slytherin common room. His good mood deflated quickly; why did this girl keep following him around? If anyone saw them standing there together… Before she could protest, Draco grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her into a corner. She looked mildly surprised at his treatment of her, but didn't seem especially bothered by it. "Oh, hello again, Draco," she said with a smile. "I just wanted to ask you-" Draco cut her off. "Don't bother, Loony. I've had just about enough of you. First you give me that ridiculous necklace to keep away _wrackpurts_ or whatever the hell you call them! Then you act like we're friends? Just like that?" He moved closer to her face to ensure she heard every word. "You're unbelievable! We are _not_ friends! We will never _be_ friends! You're mad, everybody knows it!" Draco was breathing heavily, and his hair was matted with sweat. "I wouldn't be caught dead hanging around someone like you. So just forget what you think you know and go back to the loony bin!" He drew back, unsure of what she would do. She blinked, looking surprised. Then, with a sigh and a smile, she put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Draco. I understand that if any of your friends saw you with me, they would shun and ridicule you. And since you put so much esteem in what other people think, you wouldn't be able to stand something like that. I'm sure your father and You-know-you wouldn't be too happy about it either. Even though you may want to be my friend, you must pretend that you hate me. It's sad that our beliefs should separate us in this way." She paused and sighed. "But we can always be friends without anyone knowing. There is a spot quite near the Black Lake where I like to go and think sometimes. We could meet there if you'd like. I'll let you think about it." She looked around at the Slytherin students. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Draco. I just think you're an interesting person, that's all. Well, goodbye, Draco Malfoy. I hope to see you again soon." Draco was once again left speechless. Unable to believe what had just happened, he sighed and went into the Slytherin common room.

He couldn't get her out of his head. _Dammit, dammit._ What was _wrong_ with him? He'd made his decision regarding the girl. To end what little connection they had had. Why, then, could he not stop thinking about her reaction to his viciousness? _If it had been any other girl…any other person…they would have cursed at me, hated me…but…not her._ Perhaps it was all an act. Maybe she was in the Ravenclaw common room sulking and stewing about what had happened. But Draco didn't think so. Pansy was the kind of girl who sulked. Luna wasn't. Draco's eyes widened and he slapped himself across the face, hard. Crabbe grunted in his sleep nearby. Now he _knew_ he was crazy. Pansy was his beloved girlfriend, his best friend next to the two idiots who acted as his bodyguards. When had he gotten such wrong-headed ideas? If he honestly thought that Luna was better than Pansy… He pushed his face into his pillow and muffled a scream. Why did life have to be so complicated all the time?

_I can't believe I'm doing this. I really can't believe I'm doing this._ As Draco entered the library, he caught sight of Ron kissing Lavender Brown. _Urgh. Who would kiss that weasel?_ Draco found Luna sitting alone, reading _A Guide to Mythological Beasts, Book One_, by Artie Sphinx. He took a chair opposite her and waited for her to speak. When she didn't seem to notice his arrival, he cleared his throat loudly. Madam Pince gave him a disapproving look. She looked up from her book. "Hello, Draco," she said dreamily, as if nothing unusual had transpired between them. He sighed and began to speak. "Luna, I've thought it over…and I'm…" He almost said "sorry", but couldn't bring himself to do it. "I've decided that we should…meet by the Black Lake. At 4:00 tomorrow. So we can…study. I'll help you with Potions…because you're completely hopeless at it and I'm a nice guy" he added quickly. Luna gave him a smile. "Well, don't forget, Loony. See you there." He stood up and kicked the chair aside, much to Madam Pince's annoyance. As he strode away, Luna called over her shoulder, "Thank you, Draco. You really are a sweet boy, you know." Draco stopped cold at those words. Despite the fact that she had spoken softly (almost more so than usual), he heard every word. He looked back at her, but she was absorbed in her book once again. He stumbled over his feet trying to get back to his common room.

Draco saw Blaise Zabini leafing through his Charms book and sitting near the fire. Draco sat down across from him and stared into the flames for a few minutes. "Blaise", he finally said, "Do you ever feel like girls…take the wind out of you?" Blaise looked up. "What do you mean?" "Well, first you feel one way…and they make you feel another way. Like…all the winds gone out of your sails?" Blaise considered for a moment. "Yeah. Sometimes. But only with girls I really like. Why?" He looked closely at Draco. "No reason," Draco said quickly. He hoped Blaise couldn't see the strange little smile on his face.

_This isn't a good idea, you know. I'm just going to help the girl with her homework. That's completely ridiculous, you just made that up. _Draco tried to concentrate on Professor McGonagall's lecture in order to drown out the argument in his head. _You like her, and you can't like her._ _Why not?_ _She's best friends with Potter and their gang, you blithering idiot!_ "Mr. Malfoy, is my lecture not stimulating enough?" "No- I mean…it's plenty stimulating, Professor." The whole class snickered; Draco blushed. "No, I meant-" "Then I suggest you pay attention in my class instead of daydreaming. Now…" Draco threw a dirty look at Marcus Flint, who was still chuckling. "Git," Draco spat.

Draco heaved a sigh as he looked at his watch. 3:50. _What would happen if I just didn't show? I'm sure the girl wouldn't think much of it. She'll just think… That you're a coward. And she'll be right._ Draco shook his head slowly, realizing that he couldn't blow her off. _What is wrong with me? _he asked himself for the hundredth time._ Maybe you like her._ Draco chuckled. At 4:05, he saw Luna sitting by the lake, quietly reading a book. He bit his lip and considered simply running away. Luna turned towards him then, and he forgot his efforts to escape. At that moment, leaving was the last thing on his mind. Her hair was straight, blond, and shiny. He didn't think he had ever seen her look like that, or maybe he had never properly looked at her hair before. On her neck was the same necklace she had given him. It looked rather beautiful in the sun's rays; the same could certainly be said for her. "Hi" he said a little breathlessly. "Hello, Draco Malfoy. I've brought some books for us to study." She waved her hand over an array of textbooks spread out on the grass. "Right…study" he said. She smiled and beckoned for him to sit. He sat on the grass with his legs stretched stiffly out in front of him. All of a sudden he felt uncomfortable. As if he shouldn't be here, sitting with Luna. "I can tell you're a bit nervous," Luna said suddenly. "But don't worry. We're not dating yet." Draco laughed then, a real, genuine laugh. It felt nice; he hadn't done that since he was a young boy. He leaned back slightly and wondered what on earth they would talk about. Luna put him at ease as she talked about her family life, her time at Hogwarts, and what she hoped to be later on. At first Draco just listened, letting her words wash over him; then he began talking. He spoke about his ambitions, his feelings, and his parents. They talked for nearly an hour and a half before stopping. They both stood up at the same time, almost as if it had been choreographed. He smiled awkwardly and said "Well, thanks then. It was good talking to you." "You too, Draco. Have a lovely night." Then Luna kissed Draco's cheek and skipped away. Draco stared after her, not believing what had happened. For hours afterward, his cheek tingled as if it had been touched by magic. That night in bed, Draco could only think of two things: how Luna never failed to surprise him, and how his life would never – could never – be the same.

"I will, Ron, stop pushing me!" said Hermione angrily. Ron gave a crooked smile and backed away from her. Hermione sighed and strode over to Luna, who was sitting in an armchair. Harry, pretending to be reading, watched from a nearby table. "Hello, Luna." "Hello, Hermione. Have you broken up with that Quidditch player yet?" she asked lightly. "Uh, we weren't – I mean, we…" Hermione trailed off, then caught sight of the look on Ron's face. "Yes" she said forcefully. "Erm, Luna…we were wondering – that is, Harry and Ron and I…" She trailed off and began speaking to Ron very quickly. "Just come right out and ask." "Oh, I can't, it'll seem rude." "You want me to do it?" "No, that'll only make it worse." Hermione turned back towards Luna, who had been watching the scene with vague interest. "Luna, have you been…talking to Draco Malfoy?" "Why, yes I have. He's really a very engaging person." She smiled and let out a sigh. "Engaging?" asked Ron quizzically. "Yes, he's told me all about his parents and his life. It's a shame what he's been raised to believe." Harry, who could not sit in silence much longer, stood up and strolled over to Luna. "Hello, Luna…listen, about Malfoy…I think it would be best if you didn't talk to him. I mean, who knows what sort of thing he could be plotting. I'm sure he doesn't genuinely want to talk to-" Harry grimaced at what he had said, but Luna seemed to take no notice. Hermione took over for him. "What he's trying to say, Luna, is that we shouldn't trust Malfoy. He's working against the cause…he wants Voldemort to return to power. His father's a loyal Death Eater. Can't you see that he isn't to be trusted?" An awkward pause followed Hermione's words. Luna was the first to break the silence. "Well, I expect it isn't so much that…he just wants to be friends with me. We never talk about Voldemort or anything of that sort. Of course, you have a right to be angry with him. I was for a bit as well. But I believe he's a good person underneath it all." Luna sighed and leaned back in her chair as if this settled the matter.

For the next few weeks, Draco and Luna met twice a week by the Black Lake to talk until the sunset. They generally avoided any discussion that might concern pure-bloodedness and/or Voldemort. Draco was surprised at how easy it was to confide in Luna. He never felt like he had to impress her or act a certain way; with her, he could just _be_. He enjoyed her company and was genuinely sorry when their conversations ended. Luna enjoyed spending time with him as well. Despite his harshness and boastfulness whenever he was around others, he could be very kind in the right circumstances. One chilly November afternoon, Luna and Draco were sitting together by the Black Lake as usual. "They are all very kind to me, but I don't think they take me seriously," said Luna. "At least you've _got_ friends," spat Draco. Luna opened her mouth and Draco cut her off. "What, Crabbe and Goyle? They're not really loyal. They think I'm impressive or something. That's why they stick by me all the time. If I ever got into serious trouble, they wouldn't give me a second glance." He paused and took a deep breath. Luna was watching him curiously. "I wish I had a real friend…who would be there for me – no matter what. Who really…_cared_." Tears began to spill down Draco's cheeks. He wiped them away, disgusted; and let out a noise that was part laugh, part sob. He stood up and began to walk away, but Luna went after him. "Draco-" she began as she touched his shoulder. He wrenched his body away. "Don't talk to me, you damn blood-traitor! What made you think I would _ever_ be friends with someone like you? Get out of here!" He crossed his arms and turned away from Luna. They stood like that for a few minutes before Luna slowly and cautiously put her hand in Draco's. He turned towards her with an angry expression. She looked steadily at him. He turned away again, then began to sob. She put her other hand on his shoulder, and he turned once more – towards her. She held him for what seemed like hours before they broke apart. Draco looked into her face and saw nothing but kindness and understanding. He smiled and lightly kissed her. Their kissing became more passionate as she put her arms around his neck. When they broke apart, Draco realized it was already dark, and rather cold. He put his arm around Luna's waist and together they walked back to the castle.

She couldn't believe it. She _just_ couldn't believe it. Him…with _her_? That…that…_girl_? It was too much to wrap her head around. She knew something had been up with Draco for a while now. He hardly even _talked_ to her anymore, and she was his girlfriend. But…Luna Lovegood? _Loony_ Lovegood? That dirty Muggle sympathizer? She was almost as shocked as upset. But he would get his. Oh, boy, would he get his. Pansy Parkinson smiled as she saw Draco and Luna leaving the Black Lake. She watched them as they bid each other goodbye. She nodded. They would _both_ get theirs.

Two days later, as Draco walked back to the Slytherin common room, he realized that Crabbe and Goyle had both been acting very strange around him. They seemed less afraid of him than usual; he had even heard them whispering about him (literally) behind his back. He supposed it didn't matter much; he had Luna, and that was enough. He stopped short when the door opened; Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were seated in a circle. They all looked at him with contempt on their faces; Pansy looked like she had been crying. "I'm…going to bed now. G'night." The two boys rose as one, and Draco looked from one to the other. "What's this, then? Planning a rebellion?" Draco said scornfully. "We know what you've been doing, Draco," said Crabbe. "Sneaking off with that dunderheaded Ravenclaw…leaving your girlfriend all alone," said Goyle. "But don't worry" he continued. "We've been…taking care of her for you." A wide smirk spread across his face. Draco looked at Pansy for the first time since he had entered the room. She looked at him with hatred written in every line of her face. "Pansy, I'm sor-" His words were cut short by a hard blow to the back of the head. He heard a spell being shouted and felt his hands and feet being tied by invisible ropes. He lay on his back in a ridiculous fashion, and all three of his captors snorted with laughter. "Now Draco," began Crabbe in a serious tone, "you've done something very bad. You've betrayed all of us. You're a _traitor_." And with this he kicked Draco's side. Draco gasped in pain but made no reply to the accusations. Crabbe continued, "And we think it would be a good idea to teach you a lesson. The best way to do this…is to teach the girl a lesson." Draco's eyes widened. "NO! Don't you see, you great idiot? It isn't her fault. You won't – " He was interrupted by a series of swift kicks from both Crabbe and Goyle. He groaned and struggled against his binds, but it was no good. After a few minutes, he lay panting and sweating on his side. Pansy began to speak in a furious voice. "It's for your own good, Draco. We've got to knock some sense back into you." She stood over him and shook her head. "And to think I admired you. I thought you were smart and brave and…" Tears started in her eyes, and she bent down to kiss Draco. When he didn't return her kiss and only glared at her, she stood back up. She started breathing heavily, and Draco thought she was going to cry. Instead she kicked Draco's already bruised side as hard as she could. He screamed in agony; Pansy said "Make sure you shut him up before we leave." The last thing Draco saw was Goyle waving his wand before he lost consciousness.

It was nearly 11:00 in the morning before he woke up. He felt sick and dizzy, then remembered what had happened the previous night. He began to get up, but was stopped by the invisible ropes that still bound him. He realized that he was lying on his bed; they must have left him there last night in order to be less conspicuous. Draco heard a noise at the door and wondered if they were coming to release him. But he only saw Theodore Nott, another Slytherin boy. Theodore stopped short as he saw Draco. "What – what hap – " "Get me out of these, you – " Draco was about to insult the boy, but thought it wiser to simply shut up until he was free. Theodore waved his wand and Draco felt the ropes loosen. Before Theodore had time to ask any questions, Draco had bolted out the door.

When he reached the Ravenclaw common room, he realized he needed a password to get in. Desperately, he began knocking on the door. A dark-haired girl opened it with an angry expression. "What do _you_ want, Death Eater?" "Luna – Luna Lovegood, have you seen her?" "I haven't seen Luna all morning, and what – " But Draco had already gone.

He skidded to a halt at the library door, then rushed in. He was shushed by Madam Pince. He ran wildly around, looking for Luna. He saw Harry leafing through his Potions book. "Pot – Harry, have you seen Luna?" Harry looked up and eyed him suspiciously. "No, actually, I haven't. Lost her, have you?" Harry said coldly. "Damn it" Draco exclaimed as he let himself fall against a bookcase. "Shhh!" said the librarian. Draco looked at her angrily and felt like drawing out his wand, just to scare her. _Don't be stupid. You've got more to worry about then – _"And what do you care so much about it, Malfoy?" Harry spat. Draco turned on him with fire in his eyes. "I care a lot more about it then you'd _think_, Potter!" he shouted. The librarian shushed him once more, and a thought occurred to him. _The hospital. Of course._ Before he knew what he was doing, he had left the library.

He saw Madam Pomfrey administering a spell to a young boy with a broken nose. "Luna Lovegood, is she here?" She looked up from her work, somewhat annoyed, and pointed down the hall. He ran ahead, ignoring her admonition not to run. What he saw shocked him more than he would believed possible. Crabbe and Goyle were lying on adjacent hospital beds with great purple boils all over their bodies. Sitting on a stool nearby was – Luna. He dropped to his knees and let out a sob before holding her as tight as he could. "Luna, I – they – it – I thought I'd lost you." He cried now, unashamed. She stroked his hair as he tried to speak. "I couldn't bear the thought…of losing you. I thought they'd…hurt you…because of me. I couldn't bear that. I'd never…I'm so sorry." After a time, he calmed down. "How did you – how did they…?" "It was a charm I learned about just the other day. Stops attackers in their tracks. Although I might have done it wrong…" She looked somewhat regretfully at their swollen faces. "But they'll be all right. Madam Pomfrey said so." He smiled and took her hand. "Luna…I don't ever want to be apart from you. I think…we're supposed to be together. And I love you." He gasped slightly at his own words; he didn't think he was capable of saying them. Luna merely smiled. He continued, "I didn't think I could love someone like you." "Of course you could, silly. I just taught you how." They both smiled before leaning in for a kiss.

A/N: Holy crap, this turned out to be a long story. I didn't think I could write something this long (4,511 words). It took me a long time to write this story, but it was a lot of fun. It's obviously not the best; I'm still not really comfortable with Draco's transformation, but I think I did all right. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Peace!


End file.
